Testimony Tuesday: Sister Savannah - Part 2 of 2

Love can look like tenderness, but it can also look like honesty. We sit down with Savannah, a new believer who describes a faith that’s learning to hold compassion and accountability at the same time. She shares how empathy, suffering, and a growing love for Scripture shape the way she talks to people, corrects with kindness, and refuses to use flattery as a shortcut to peace.

A major turning point is her struggle with the sovereignty of God and the realization that her free will wasn’t as “free” as she once assumed. We unpack why God’s sovereignty is not a cold doctrine but a lifeline: if God truly rules, then his promises are not wishful thinking. That truth becomes especially personal as Savannah walks through ongoing trials as a single mother, leaning on prayer, Bible reading, and the steady presence of other Christians who remind her she is not alone.

We also talk sanctification and the hard surprise of seeing sin more clearly over time, plus the guilt and shame that can follow. The conversation moves into spiritual warfare, staying anchored in the Word, and navigating noisy online spaces like TikTok without getting pulled into confusion. We close with simple, direct gospel clarity and an invitation to keep seeking Jesus.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What part of faith has been the toughest for you to understand?

Transcript

Empathy, Love, And Honest Truth

SPEAKER_02 0:00

And and forgiving and loving and and understanding and giving people the benefit of the doubt and of things of this nature, just being such a babe in Christ, like just the love that you have for people, like where does that stem from? Have you always been that way, or is that something that you have come to be in the Lord?

SPEAKER_05 0:27

I think it's a little bit of both. Like I like I've always I've always been really empathetic, like towards people and like sensitive to like other people's like feelings or like like I like I catch vibes, if you know what I'm saying. Like like I really just pick up on like what people like their demeanor, like what they're feeling and everything. And it just I've been through a lot in my life, as you said, and it's just giving me it's given me like compassion for other people, like like we don't know what someone else has been through could be worse than something I went through, you know. So I just and I just always try to spread, you know, the love of Christ as much as I can because to be honest, I think like love is really powerful. Like just imagine if everybody in the world loved each other with the love of Christ and how amazing that would be.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

I know that that's very pleasing to the Lord, and that you don't use flattery words with certain people just to make them feel better. If they're right or if they're wrong, you'll in the in the most kindest way possible, you'll tell them, like you do understand where where they're coming from, but that they probably could have done it better. So I just want to say that I do greatly appreciate that coming from you because I know that you will hold me accountable if the day comes that I am in the wrong or you know, I need to be corrected. So just thank you because that's something to admire. You know, some people do want to keep the peace to where they'll flatter people and and we we shouldn't be deceptive. So, as just a young believer, I I think that you inspire me and just remind me, you know, that to hold people accountable, you know, and it's great to see something of the sort just from a babe in Christ. So I just want to say thank you.

SPEAKER_05 3:09

Yeah, of course. Yeah, I've always valued truth, and I and I I guess that's something my dad taught me, but yeah, I'll I'll I'll tell somebody the truth, even if it hurts their feelings, because ultimately the truth is better for them than hurting their feelings, if that makes sense.

Encouragement From The Christian Community

SPEAKER_04 3:32

Jeffrey.

SPEAKER_03 3:35

Well, good evening, Savannah. I did not have the opportunity to hear your testimony. I just got online here just a couple of minutes ago. Like Peter once told someone, he said, silver and gold have I none. And right now I don't have any words for you. What I do have for you, Savannah, is encouragement. As you walk through this life as a quote, young babe in Christ, I I see the fact that you have the potential to grow quickly. So, what I offer to you is just lean into this group. We are here with you, we are here for you. And when you feel like you have been knocked down, reach out to one of us. When you feel like when you have something to rejoice about, to be happy about, to be praising God about, again, reach out to one of us and share that with us, not only the difficulties, but the joys, the victories that you're going to have in your life. Reach out to one of us, reach out to all of us if you have opportunity and share that with us. Let us walk with you through what you're going through and through the growth that you all that you're experiencing, because that's what we do or we are to do as God's children, to walk with each other, encourage each other, love each other. If something goes wrong in your life, don't be afraid or ashamed to share that. You you you I think you probably heard my testimony, and get that out there and let God take what has happened and gone wrong and turn it into a victory for you. So it is wonderful having you a part of this group. And from your young perspective, thank you for sharing. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your love of the word, for the love of God that you have and sharing that with us. Savannah, you are an awesome child of God. Stay grounded in the word, stay close to other people who love the Lord, and you are an awesome part of this group. We love you. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

SPEAKER_05 5:57

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 5:58

God bless, Brother Rodney and then Mariah.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Well, Sister Slanna, how are you doing? Good evening, everybody. That was a good testimony. Um, I just wanted to say that to you. God bless you for sharing it. You're as a fellow babe in Christ with you. You know, you've blessed one of my posts and told me to keep going. So I thank you for that. And it's gonna say you've motivated me and inspired me to keep going. And hopefully one day I'll hop on the stage and give my testimony. But um, I just want I don't really have any questions about anything because I appreciated you doing and I took it in and uh God bless you on your journey and everything you got going forward.

SPEAKER_04 6:39

So excellent. Sisteriah and then Pat.

Struggling With God’s Sovereignty

SPEAKER_02 6:46

So I have a question. Since you have been walking with Christ, what has been the toughest thing to come to understanding, or something that you have actually struggled with that you didn't get right away, or just something that has been the toughest for you?

SPEAKER_05 7:09

So to be honest, the toughest thing for me was like was realizing like and understanding God's sovereignty and coming to terms with that like my free will wasn't as free as I thought it was.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

That's excellent. How did you get over it? Like how did you like what made what made it make sense to you?

SPEAKER_05 7:39

I just I just kept listening to everybody like on TikTok and taking it back to the Bible and reading about it myself and going to the Lord in prayer.

SPEAKER_04 7:50

Excellent.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Can I ask can I ask you what scripture or what point was it that you came to this realization?

SPEAKER_05 8:04

Honestly, it was like a it's just like a over time it was like a compound of scriptures, but I think the biggest one would probably be it was one that Meg shared with me. It was in Romans, what is it? I can't think of it right now, but it was like no one is good, no, not one. And no like the what is it?

SPEAKER_04 8:35

Romans chapter one.

SPEAKER_05 8:37

Like that we can't choose God, basically.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

Excellent. Brother Pat.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Well Mariah, you know, I don't want to talk bad about a sister, but what she likes to do is she likes to steal other people's questions, you know, go right right ahead of them in line. She likes to do that. So I'll ask a question that's related to what uh the to what she was asking. So the sovereignty of God, like to me, is is life-changing because what that means is you really can trust him, right? Right, Savannah? Like, let's say somebody somebody says, trust me, but they don't have the ability to actually come through on their promises. You know what I mean? That's not somebody you can really trust. Like the person has to have the ability to make good on their promises, right? And so God must be sovereign in order to him be to be a promise keeper. And so, you know, when you come to the sovereignty of God, you now have a God who you can put your faith in and who you can trust because he has the ability to keep his word.

Trusting God In Ongoing Trials

SPEAKER_00 9:56

So here's what I want to ask you. You're going through a lot of stuff in life right now. I want to ask you about your life right now. How is understanding the sovereignty of God gonna help you get through this? Is this something you've thought about, Grace?

SPEAKER_05 10:18

It's not something I thought about previously, but I do think about it, and it's really comforting to know like God is fully sovereign and he takes care of me and he always you know watches over me no matter what, even though like I'm going through a trial right now. Um but but I trust him because he knows that like he knows what's good for me and he knows like whatever he's like a trial by fire, like he's he's refining me, so he knows the exact I guess temperature that I can handle in my life. And so, yeah, his his sovereignty has just been really um comforting to me. Although that sometimes I do admit I have trouble trusting God with some things.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

The the enemy wants you to believe, Savannah, that you are in the midst of chaos. That's what the that's what the enemy wants you to believe about this world. But we serve a God of order. Right? Do you see that? And so the enemy tries to make you think that you're in great peril because things are out of control. But they're not. Would you agree with that?

SPEAKER_05 11:44

Yeah, I don't agree with that.

SPEAKER_04 11:47

So it's a Vanessa.

SPEAKER_07 11:50

Well, since nobody else is asking, what is your favorite scripture in the Bible?

SPEAKER_05 11:58

My favorite scripture in the Bible is is the one where it describes I forget this I'm terrible with like remembering the exact scripture, but it's the one that's describing what love is. You know, love is patient, love is kind, love is does not boast. You know, that one.

SPEAKER_07 12:30

That's alright. I paraphrase a lot too because I can't remember exactly what they all say. So don't feel don't feel by yourself. That's me.

SPEAKER_04 12:40

Jeffrey, go ahead, brother.

Spiritual Warfare And Standing On Scripture

SPEAKER_03 12:44

Let me also say that there are times in your life when everything in your life will seem like a series of disconnected random events. Okay, but you add Jesus to that equation, and I promise you, everything will make sense. He makes sense of the things that are seemingly senseless. He gives meaning to the things that are seemingly meaningless. He gives direction to your life when there seems to be no direction. He is the leader, the lord of your life as you well already know. So when the enemy comes against you with these things, remember who he is and what he does. And I think you're already to a point in your growth that you know this. But the enemy will try to convince you that you don't or flat out lie to you that God is not capable or able to bring to your life what you need at that moment. Don't let him do that. He is a liar always. He is the father of all lies. Remember that he's very subtle at it, he is very good at it. I'm not praising him, I'm just telling you, that's what he does, that's who he is. And I'm sure in your young Christian life you've probably already run into some of that. You're gonna run into more as you continue to grow and to become the young woman of God he wants you to be. So be rep be ready for that. Be ready for his life standing on the word of truth, okay? Sounds like you're already off to an excellent start, so stay with it, okay? But remember, lean into him because that's what he would have you to do.

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Sister Tyson, what do you have for our sister? Anything?

Single Motherhood And Bearing Burdens Together

SPEAKER_06 14:50

Oh yeah, I'm just gonna listen. You know, as hard as it is to be trying to protect two children with everything that you've gone through, and to be still shedding your flesh for the for the for the benefit of them, you're putting their well-being over your home. It's inspiring. How do you say it's it's inspiring and it's difficult, especially as a single mother. And some it's encouraging to watch you push every day still by still bathing yourself in the word and see when you're love, you could be in there by yourself. You're just gonna be reading away scripture. And that's really encouraging to witness and to see. And I love you, and then I'm humble that I can, you know, come along someone mag for you, all of us and love you the way that we are called to love you and to carry your burdens with you and to let you know that you are not alone, and that God is gearing you up with brothers and sisters to protect and walk with you, and just to let you know that you are not stepping alone, sister. So Yep. I love you, and I'm glad you're sharing your testimony. You did great, you did a good job. Yeah, so I love you too, sister.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

So let me ask you this, Grace. So we you we know you have your family here for sure, me and all the rest of us. What about in in your personal family life, your actual family life? Is do you do you get other support? Is there other like-minded individuals in your family or people close to you that you fellowship with?

SPEAKER_05 16:53

Yeah, I fellowship, I fellowship a lot with my brother Zane. We used to we used to do Bible study more often together. But yeah, I fellowship with him, my dad, he's more like it's like I'm really close with my dad, and he's believed in God longer than I have, but I I would say that I've grown like more in my Christianity than my own father. So like I'm not trying to boast about myself, but I it's really special because I've helped him like grow c closer with the Lord as well. And yeah, that's pretty much it. I d I so my brother and my dad.

SPEAKER_04 17:41

Let me let me ask you this question because you know Christ mentioned something in about believers uh coming to him in faith. And he tells the people that come to him that they need to count the cost. They need to count the cost of what it means to serve him, right? Because it's it's a big uh it's a big order for us to be his servants. So when you look at Christ this way, what do you find to be difficult as a Christian? Is it if anything at all? Do you find any part of being a Christian difficult? And if so, what is that and why?

Shame, Guilt, And The Slow Work

SPEAKER_05 18:27

I think the most difficult part honestly is like persecution. I don't know. My honestly my flesh would probably like just not do like doing selfish things all the time. Or, you know, like the the resistance there, like how can I explain it? So like when I first like really started pursuing my walk with the Lord about eight months ago, you know, I was I was overjoyed. It was like it was like no other joy I've experienced before, right? But like as I went along in my walk, I just my sin became more apparent to me. It's like it's I like how somebody else, I heard somebody else describe it. It's like you know, if your room's really dirty, but you can't see that well, and your eyes are like you're blind to it at first, but then you're woken, like when you're a Christian, you're woken up to these types of things, and you're it's not like the sanctification process isn't like immediate, right? So it's gradual over time, and over time I've just become more aware of my sin. So it's like I'm really hard on myself, so I struggle with like being ashamed of myself or feeling guilty, or like that I've let God down in like some huge way. That's the thing that I struggle with the most.

SPEAKER_04 20:07

Okay. And and your and how do you being this young Christian woman now, you have two children? What what would you tell your children they need to do to get to the place where you are now? And how would you help get them there?

SPEAKER_05 20:29

I honestly I just tell my daughter like every night, don't forget to pray to God and talk to him and go to him with it literally anything. Like if you want to tell God that you're mad at him because this happened, like you go and tell him that. And really with my children, I've just you know, I read I read the Bible to them when I can, and I I've bought an I got I've bought my daughter like this little God's journal thing, and she she reads it. And if she has any questions about God, I just I tell her honestly, and and you know, and I've I've always told her like I I I I've always told her like like hey, you don't have like you don't have to like I let her grow into deciding I guess not deciding, but I've let her grow into like the maturity and understanding that she's at right now, like at her own pace. Like I didn't want to like throw everything at her and like force anything on her, I guess so to speak. And um, and I I just try to be the best example to them that I can be, because I think that's really like the biggest thing. And I just tell her, you know, read your Bible and pray.

SPEAKER_04 21:55

Now, when when you're on this on this live that you do where you read the scripture. have you any have you encountered anything that you consider a challenge any challenges that you had to deal with with doing that just reading the Bible with people anything been a problem in that regard for you not really my lives haven't been that like my live when I go live I they haven't really been that popular but I just I just read the Bible um I haven't had any like crazy heretics or anything that's that's good because it's it's it's probably gonna come it's good it's probably gonna happen where people will come and ask you something like well why do you read this Bible? Why do you why do you believe in that this God and this kind of thing but let me ask you this there's a lot of noise out there when it comes to to the gospel and what how people look at Christ and view Christ and things like that. For you why Jesus Christ why not Mohammed why not the Mormon church why not any of these other groups and and have you been approached by any of them prior to this why why why why the Christ why Christ the way you know him now honestly like I've never really like looked too much into the other other religions.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

I think I was just thankful to be brought up in a Christian family um you know although like my my parents both my my my both of my parents are Christian call themselves Christians and are believers but it it was just you know we just stopped kind of stopped going to church after they got a divorce and I've I've never I've never been like a real religious person and seeking after all these other religions and what I have found from these other religions and things like that it it doesn't really like make sense to me. Right. I don't know about you guys but like when I read the Bible like there's something personal about it.

Assurance Of Faith And Online Confusion

SPEAKER_02 24:18

Let's see Mariah yeah I was just reflecting on when you were talking about when you hit your knees and you were going through this moment of when you were calling on God is there anything that you can remember before that time that you felt like God was drawing you to him prior to you actually hitting your knees huh honestly no I don't like I I can remember like when I was a child like I would pray to him every once in a while but and like throughout my life but other than that I don't I don't feel like he drew me in other in any other way besides that moment. Like were you feeling bad like when you said that you were partaking in Mary Jane for the sake sake of the life did you feel like like you just wanted to stop but you couldn't stop or like you were this was something that was bothering you prior to this moment of you feeling extra paranoid and things of that nature honestly no I didn't I didn't really feel bad about participating in those that type of thing I didn't feel bad really at all.

SPEAKER_05 25:49

I was just I I honestly I think I was like depraved at that time and and I think that moment when I hit my knees is when I really like received the Holy Spirit I'm gonna ask you a tough question Savannah tough question here you I know you love the Lord we all know that we know you're a saved woman how can you be sure that you are gonna you're going to continue to grow from this place and not look back what guarantee do you have that that you are never gonna go back the guarantee that I have is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit because I know the scriptures say that like I'm filled with the ha promised Holy Spirit until the day of redemption and I know that even if I were to run away from God and turn my back on him that Jesus would ultimately chase me down and come back and get me.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

There you go sister there you go brother Pat well I got a TikTok question for you Savannah being a new ish believer and being on social media like like TikTok and stuff so you've probably ran into people that believe a lot of different stuff there's a lot of different doctrines and there's a lot of different groups that they don't like each other.

SPEAKER_05 27:34

Does that create confusion from I'm asking about like from your perspective as a as a newer believer was that confusing to you no not no not really it wasn't really confusing to me I it just it I mean it makes sense because like a lot of people have different beliefs and I understand that a lot of people are just like stuck in their ways and they would like rather just sometimes people would just rather be right than learn the truth of the matter so as a young like new believer it wasn't really confusing to me I just understood that you know there's disagreements and sometimes that happens and there's not like there's not there's some people out there that call themselves Christians are not actually Christians.

Seeing God’s Hand In The Past

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Amen sister Mariah go ahead okay I have one more question I don't I don't want to bombard you but you know when you come to Christ and you finally realize like he's been there the whole entire time God has been with you the whole entire time even in the most terrible times did you have you ever come and to that like revelation that wow God has actually been with me my whole entire life and and he has never actually left me even when I was mad or when I thought he wasn't there yeah I have come to that revelation I didn't all like it it's just been like recently pretty much like it hasn't always been like that but like looking back at my life there are definitely moments where I was like wow praise God like he was really looking out for me like there was this one time when I was working I like I was late I was late to work and I was pulling out onto the highway and it's like a really wide highway it was like a it's like a four-lane highway and with like a like a median in the middle like you know what I'm talking about and I was turning left and there was like no light there or anything and so and I was turning left and there was so much traffic there was so much traffic and I was like kind of new about driving because it was my first job I think I was like 16 and so I pulled out into traffic and I didn't see this really like huge truck and I'm just in this like tiny car and it like I was in the middle of the highway and the truck like swerved out of the way like barely barely just in time and I just I just like I was in shock I just honestly sat there in my car for like for like probably 20 seconds thinking about how I almost just died and I just remember you know looking back at that and I'm like wow you know God was really really looking out for me so let me ask you another question Savannah being you know a young woman a young a young Christian and having your your two children and and some of the struggles that you know we have prayed about for you you know things that you were going through what would you what would you tell another woman or anybody for that matter in similar situations what would you tell what what would be your advice to them my advice to them would just be to just stick around like fellow believers you know like-minded people read your Bible just stay in the word every day and before like in the in the morning before you wake up just praise praise God that you open your eyes and you can breathe and I try to stay in the habit of praying every morning before I get out of bed and I you know read the Bible every day and if you and I would say if you come across anything that you're like hmm is that true or like if somebody says something to you don't just take their word for it right take it back to the Bible.

SPEAKER_05 32:19

That's what I would tell them.

SPEAKER_04 32:21

I got one last question for you because I know you probably need to get to your children.

Sharing The Gospel And Closing Blessing

SPEAKER_04 32:25

So I ask you this last question what would be what would you tell somebody lifting now who's an unbeliever who is uncertain about why or whether or not they should come to Christ or not what would you tell that person?

SPEAKER_05 32:40

Well I would tell that person that the reality is that we all fall short of the glory of God and we've all sinned against him and we all deserve to go to hell and you know but the good the like how how can we appreciate the good news if we haven't heard the bad news and that so that's the bad news but the good news is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day that's what I would tell them. I hear you says anything else you want to add um no not really just thank you guys for showing up and thank you for listening to my testimony and supporting me and fellowshipping with me and I I appreciate every one of you and I love all of you guys.

SPEAKER_04 33:34

Thank you sister and you know you you know whatever you need anytime you got a whole group of us that are always on standby and you you know and don't feel shy like I know you're not when it comes to asking what you want to ask. So keep it up keep growing sister because you you are definitely a beloved sister in the Lord and we all appreciate you so I'll let you get into what you got to do and we appreciate you and keep keep stay faithful. Alright all right all right sister God bless you and God bless everybody everybody good night